Ahir Regiment Protesters Clashes With Cops In Gurugram; Several Injured, Arrested

Over 200 people were detained and several got injured in a clash between police and the protesters demanding the formation of an Ahir regiment in the Army, officials said on Friday.

Hundreds of protesters gathered near the Kherki Daula toll plaza at around 10.30 am and tried to block the Delhi-Jaipur highway, they said.

When police started detaining them, some of them began pelting stones, police said.

In the clash six people including three cops were hurt, police said.

After stone pelting, the protesters hid in the streets of Kherki Daula village. The police chased the protesters in streets of the village and detained them.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (Manesar) Suresh Kumar said, "The protesters wanted to block the highway and we detained them. We are telling them that if they want to protest, they can do so but it won't be allowed on the highway." Bollywood singer and rapper Rahul Yadav alias Fazilpuria, who also joined the protest, was also detained by the police but later released. He said that for the first time the Ahir community has raised any demand.

"Peaceful agitation has been going on for a long time and we will struggle for this demand. However, the stone pelting on police is condemnable," Fazilpuria said.

During the protest, some protesters blocked the Delhi-Jaipur highway near village Nakhdaula by taking out the keys of a truck and deflating its tyres.

Commuters face inconvenience for about 40 minutes. Later, with the help of a crane, the truck was removed and the traffic on the highway was resumed, police said.

The detained protesters were sent to different police stations in more than 10 buses of the Haryana roadways, the police said.

But some protesters even freed the detained persons from a bus after stopping it on the way.

Late evening, two separate FIRs were registered at Kherki Daula police station under various sections of IPC and 20 protesters were arrested.

"A case has been registered against the protesters for disturbing peace and pelting stones while another case for freeing the detained protesters from a bus by miscreants. The help of photographs and videos is being taken to identify the protesters. Over 200 people were detained", said Suresh Kumar, ACP, Manesar.

The Gurugram traffic police on Thursday issued an advisory after the protesters announced the demonstration near the Kherki Daula toll plaza. A large police force was deployed to divert the traffic.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)